Spices refers to
plants or parts of plants - the buds, bark, roots,
berries and aromatic seeds that are harvested for
use to enhance the flavor or taste of human food.
Herbs are the leaves of plants, so when we use
coriander leaf we refer to it as a herb, however
when we use coriander seed we say we are using a
spice. Even the tiny filaments of saffron are
referred to as a spice.
Typical examples of
spices are cloves (buds), cinnamon (bark), turmeric
(root), peppercorns (berries), vanilla (the bean
from a tropical orchid vine) and cumin, coriander,
dill and fennel (seeds) to mention just a few.
Spices can be grouped
into five basic categories. These are; sweet,
pungent, tangy, hot, and amalgamating. The way we
use these and the amounts we put into cooking are
governed by these characteristics. Examples of the
different types of spices are;
Sweet: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla
Pungent: cloves, star anise, cardamom
Tangy: ginger, tamarind, sumac, kokum
Hot: pepper, chili, mustard, horseradish
Amalgamating: coriander seed, fennel seed.
Then most of the herbs (such as thyme, sage,
marjoram, oregano, bay leaves, mint and rosemary)
are referred to as savory. The herbs do have varying
degrees of flavor intensity, however not as dramatic
as with spices.
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